The collapse of America’s middle class

People seem to act irrationally when they have nothing to lose. Often we observe in wars that the losing side expends more blood and treasure after its position becomes hopeless.

The American South sustained most of its casualties in the Civil War after July 1863, when the dual defeats at Gettysburg and Vicksburg made its position untenable. Athens suffered its worst casualties in the Sicilian gamble at the end of the Peloponnesian War.

The Spanish ruined their empire and depopulated their core provinces during the second half of the Thirty Years War of 1618-1648 rather than cede dominance to France. Germany took most of its casualties after Stalingrad. Japan was prepared to absorb an arbitrarily large number of casualties after Okinawa, and its resistance was terminated only by nuclear attack.

Some aspects of the apparently suicidal behavior observed in great wars may be at work in the present budget stalemate in Washington, where the Republican right and the Democratic left yet may undo a compromise. I do not think this will happen – yet. But the extremes of polarization in the American body politic are different from anything I have seen in my lifetime.

If the Tea Party wanted most of all to govern, it would declare that a split government cannot accomplish the agenda on which its members were sent to congress, and that the 2012 presidential election would become a national referendum on America’s future. It would then agree to an interim compromise on the debt ceiling.

YO, AMERICAN BLOGGERS! THE TIME FOR THE SLUMBERING GIANT TO AWAKEN IS LONG OVERDUE.
1984+PLUS IS UPON US! AMERICAN BLOGGERS: AWAKEN THE BIG DUMMY -- DO IT NOW! !!!!!
*****NO AINOs!!!!! "REAL" AMERICANS ONLY!

KFROG 95.1FM and 92.9FM are Country Music Radio Stations in Southern California. Country music news, charts, CD reviews, streaming music, artist interviews, contests, message board and community calendar of events. The K-FROG Stations.

KFROG 95.1FM and 92.9FM are Country Music Radio Stations in Southern California. Country music news, charts, CD reviews, streaming music, artist interviews, contests, message board and community calendar of events. The K-FROG Stations.